The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, Volume 1 of 2

The Ninth New Year’s Feast after my auspicious Accession.

Alexander Rogers translation

The commencement of the ninth year after my auspicious accession, corresponding with the Hijra year 1023 (1614).

I ordered them to put a stone with this carved upon it on the top of the portico of the building.

In these days they brought a bird from the country of Zīrbād (Sumatra, etc., Blochmann, p. 616) which was coloured like a parrot, but had a smaller body. One of its peculiarities is that it lays hold with its feet of the branch or perch on which they may have placed it and then makes a somersault, and remains in this position all night and whispers to itself. When day comes it seats itself on the top of the branch. Though they say that animals also have worship, yet it is most likely that this practice is instinctive. It never drinks water, and water acts like poison upon it, though other birds subsist on water.

My son also behaved to him with perfect kindness. When the Rānā clasped his feet and asked forgiveness for his faults, he took his head and placed it on his breast, and consoled him in such a manner as to comfort him. He presented him with a superb dress of honour, a jewelled sword, a horse with a jewelled saddle, and a private elephant with silver housings, and, as there were not more than 100 men with him who were worthy of complete robes of honour (sar u pā), he gave 100 sarupa and 50 horses and 12 jewelled khapwa (daggers). As it is the custom of the Zamindars that the son who is the heir-apparent should not go with his father to pay his respects to a king or prince, the Rānā observed this custom, and did not bring with him Karan, the son who had received the ṭīkā. As the hour (fixed by astrology) of the departure of that son of lofty fortune from that place was the end of that same day, he gave him leave, so that, having himself gone, he might send Karan to pay his respects. After he had gone, Karan also came and did so. To him also he gave a superb dress of honour, a jewelled sword and dagger, a horse with a gold saddle, and a special elephant, and on the same day, taking Karan in attendance, he proceeded towards the illustrious Court. On the 3rd Isfandārmuẕ my return to Ajmir from hunting took place. From the 17th Bahman up to that date, during which I was hunting, one tigress with three cubs and thirteen nilgaw had been killed. The fortunate prince encamped on Saturday, the 10th of the same month, at the village of Devrānī, which is near the city of Ajmir, and an order was given that all the Amirs should go to meet him, and that each should present an offering according to his standing and condition, and on the next day, Sunday, the 11th he should have the good fortune to wait upon me. The next day the prince, with great magnificence, with all the victorious forces that had been appointed to accompany him on that service, entered the public palace. The hour for him to wait on me was when two watches and two gharis of the day had passed, and he had the good fortune to pay his respects, and performed his prostrations and salutations. He presented 1,000 ashrafis and 1,000 rupees by way of offering, 1,000 muhrs and 1,000 rupees by way of charity. I called that son forward and embraced him, and having kissed his head and face, favoured him with special kindnesses and greetings. When he had finished the dues of service and had presented his offerings and charities, he petitioned that Karan might be exalted with the good fortune of prostrating himself and paying his respects. I ordered them to bring him, and the Bakhshis with the usual ceremonies of respect produced him. After prostration and salutation were completed, at the request of my son K͟hurram, I ordered them to place him in front on the right hand of the circle. After this I ordered K͟hurram to go and wait on his mothers, and gave him a special dress of honour, consisting of a jewelled chārqab (sleeveless vest), a coat of gold brocade, and a rosary of pearls. After he had made his salutation, there were presented to him a special dress of honour, a special horse with a jewelled saddle, and a special elephant. I also honoured Karan with a superb robe of honour and a jewelled sword, and the Amirs and mansabdars had the honour of prostrating themselves and paying their respects, and presented their offerings. Each of these, according to his service and rank, was honoured with favours. As it was necessary to win the heart of Karan, who was of a wild nature and had never seen assemblies and had lived among the hills, I every day showed him some fresh favour, so that on the second day of his attendance a jewelled dagger, and on the next day a special Iraqi horse with jewelled saddle, were given to him. On the day when he went to the darbar in the female apartments, there were given to him on the part of Nūr-Jahān Begam a rich dress of honour, a jewelled sword, a horse and saddle, and an elephant. After this I presented him with a rosary of pearls of great value. On the next day a special elephant with trappings (talāyir) were given. As it was in my mind to give him something of every kind, I presented him with three hawks and three falcons, a special sword, a coat of mail, a special cuirass, and two rings, one with a ruby and one with an emerald. At the end of the month I ordered that all sorts of cloth stuffs, with carpets and cushions (named takiya) and all kinds of perfumes, with vessels of gold, two Gujrati carts, and cloths, should be placed in a hundred trays. The Ahadis carried them in their arms and on their shoulders to the public audience hall, where they were bestowed on him.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · The “Arrogant of the Earth” (Tod). ↑Note 2 · Perhaps this means Peshawar, for apparently Qilīj was there when he died. ↑Note 3 · According to the Maʾās̤ir, iii, 486, in the biography of ʿĪsā K͟hān, Rustam was sent to put down the Tark͟hāns, and succeeded in doing so. S Note 4 · Though the text has Pūlam, the real word seems to be Īlam or Ailam. Ailam Guẕar appears to be a pass in a range of hills. It may, however, b Note 5 · Compare Price’s Jahāngīr, p. 94. It appears from that account that Muʿtaqid alias Las͟hkar K͟hān was originally called Abū-l-ḥusain. Accordi Note 6 · She was a daughter of Mīr Maḥmūd, Akbar’s secretary (Blochmann, p. 449). ↑Note 7 · Mān Singh died in the Deccan in 1614, and apparently in the month of June. ↑Note 8 · Text pidar by mistake for pisar. ↑Note 9 · Garha, described as Bāndhū in Maʾās̤ir, ii, 175. It is Garha-Katanga, i.e. Jabalpur. ↑Note 10 · Perhaps the meaning is that there was an eruption. ↑Note 11 · Buzurgān, which perhaps here means elder ladies of the harem. ↑Note 12 · This is Tās͟h Beg (Blochmann, p. 457). The text wrongly has Patna. ↑Note 13 · Jahāngīr was born in this month, which then corresponded to Rajab. ↑Note 14 · Is this an allusion to some complimentary remark of Sir Thomas Roe? Sir Thomas did not come to Ajmir till December, 1615, but Jahāngīr is he Note 15 · Maḥall-i-S͟hāh Nūru-d-dīn Jahāngīr, 1024 (1615). See Proceedings A.S.B. for August, 1873, pp. 159–60. ↑Note 16 · Salīma died in the 7th year, so that the discovery must have occurred some time before this mention of it. ↑Note 17 · Hindustani, dhurpad, “petit poëme ordinairement composé de cinq hémistiches sur une même rime.” “It was invented by Rāja Mān of Gwalior” (Ga Note 18 · See Rieu, 741b, who calls the nauras a treatise on music composed by Ibrāhīm ʿĀdil S͟hāh II. This ʿĀdil S͟hāh was Firis͟hta’s patron, and re Note 19 · Translated Elliot, vi, 339. ↑Note 20 · Lit. procure for him the sign of the blessed panja (five fingers). The sign-manual was that of Jahāngīr. See below. See also Tod’s Rajasthan Note 21 · Panja mubārak (Tod’s Rajasthan, i, 383 and 411). ↑Note 22 · Perhaps the uncle and Haridās, or the īnhā, ‘them’ may mean the farman. See Elliot, vi, 340, which has ‘my letters.’ Tod has translated this Note 23 · The text has k͟haurmiyān, and I. O. 181 has k͟haur-i-bandar. K͟haur means a bay or gulf in Arabic. The battle is that between Captain Downto Note 24 · Elliot, vi, 340. As Mr. Rogers remarks, the sentence is not easily intelligible. Probably the translation should be, “No one remained (all t Note 25 · Probably the father or grandfather of the Muḥammad Beg Ẕū-l-faqār who was a servant of Aurangzīb (Maʾās̤iru-l-umarā, ii, 89). ↑Note 26 · R.A.S. MS. has Dayānat K͟hān, and so has I.O. MS. 181. ↑Note 27 · Qulba. It does not appear that this is a land-measure. ↑Note 28 · K͟harwār. It is a weight. See Jarrett, ii, 394, where a kharwar is said to be equal to ten Hindustani maunds. ↑Note 29 · Probably this was the son who died in the 14th year (Tūzuk, p. 282). ↑Note 30 · Two watches and one ghari had passed on the night of Friday, the 9th Ṣafar (21st March, 1614), when the world-warming sun shed his rays on t Note 31 · During my illness it had occurred to me that when I completely recovered, inasmuch as I was inwardly an ear-bored slave of the K͟hwāja (Muʿī Note 32 · There is a ravine in the neighbourhood of Ajmir that is very beautiful. At the end of this ravine a spring appears which is collected in a l Note 33 · “The palace15 of S͟hāh Nūru-d-dīn Jahāngīr” (1024).Note 34 · In the beginning of the month of Day, merchants came from Persia and brought pomegranates of Yazd and melons from Kārīz, which are the best Note 35 · Great difference appeared in the climates of India. In this month of Day, in Lahore, which is between Persia and Hindustan, the mulberry-tre Note 36 · In the month19 of Bahman there came pieces of good news one after the other. The first was that the Rānā Amar Singh had elected for obedienc Note 37 · S̤ābit K͟hān26 at the paradise-resembling assemblies was always addressing unbecoming speeches and making palpable allusions to Iʿtimādu-d-d Note 38 · At the end of the aforesaid month news came that when four and a half gharis of night had passed on Sunday the 11th of the month, in the cit Note 39 · When 55 seconds had passed on Saturday, 1st Farwardīn, in my 10th year, corresponding with the 8th1 of the month of Ṣafar (March, 1615), 102 Note 40 · Murtaẓā K͟hān, on this day, obtained leave to go for the capture of the fort of Kāngra, the equal of which for strength they cannot point to